Article pubs.acs.org/est
Migration of Ag- and TiO2‑(Nano)particles from Textiles into Artificial Sweat under Physical Stress: Experiments and Exposure Modeling N. von Goetz,*,† C. Lorenz,†,‡ L. Windler,‡ B. Nowack,‡ M. Heuberger,§ and K. Hungerbühler† †
ETH Zürich, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland Empa − Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland § Empa − Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for Advanced Fibers, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland ‡
S Supporting Information *
ABSTRACT: Engineered nanoparticles (ENP) are increasingly used to functionalize textiles taking advantage, e.g., of the antimicrobial activity of silver (Ag)-ENP or the UVabsorption of titania (TiO2)-ENP. Mobilization and migration of ENPs from the textile into human sweat can result in dermal exposure to these nanoobjects and their aggregates and agglomerates (NOAA). In this study we assessed exposure to NOAA migrating from commercially available textiles to artificial sweat by an experimental setup that simulates wear-and-tear during physical activity. By combining physical stress with incubation in alkaline and acidic artificial sweat solutions we experimentally realized a worst case scenario for wearing functionalized textiles during sports activities. This experimental approach is not limited to NOAA, but can be used for any other textile additive. Out of four investigated textiles, one T-shirt and one pair of trousers with claimed antimicrobial properties were found to release Ag
